[ferrarione]

I recently added a live rock into my existing FOWLR.

Accidentally found that there is crab (almost black in color with red eyes ) inside the rock. Initially think this may be a little prize.

After a few weeks, I've lost one purple firefish and one watchman goby. Can't find their 'dead body' at all.

Certainly I think the crab is the murderer. My wife complained about it and threatened to terminate the crab.

Just want to ask for anyone with similar experience ?

What kind of crab do you think it could be (I think it's around 1 and a half inches large as I never saw it came out of the rock)?

I have three clowns and a blue tang in my tank right now. Should I really get the crab out of the tank? What 's the implication of keeping it? any change in diet? Certainly, I won't be able to keep small fishes like firefish......

[FishKid]

too many crabs in the ocean to make an id on it, but most likely your gonna want to get rid of that crab, if you for some wacky reason decide to keep it, really no dietary input needed for a crab...

mark

[the_blue_tuna]

Another possibility .... Crabs are , for the most part , scavengers and if your fish died for some other reason , the crab would have been a likely candidate to clean up the remains. This doesnt necessarily make the crab a killer now , just an opportunist. Is there any way of posting a pic so that we could make a more positive ID?

[organicreefer]

its a definite "red eye crab" Eriphia spp.

these are highly predatory crabs,and are definitely not safe around small fishes /invertebrates.

just to be sure...it has large claws that fold tight to the body,right,i had one that lived in the sump for ever.they are very common ,i understand,in live rock from anywhere in the indo pacific...